11 am does not work for the OP.
I hope you won’t book his listing and lecture him on why his check out time needs to be 11 or later.
Just find another listing. Plenty of hosts offer 8 am check in and 10 pm check out!
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Well aware that 11AM doesn’t work for Rolf. That wasn’t at issue. Sarcastically acting as if someone saying that they would find 10AM to be too early to check out means they would feel entitled to check in at 8am and check out at 10PM is what I was referring to. As is implying that I would book a place and then lecture a host as to why their check-out needs to be later.
Suggesting here that many guests would find 10 AM to be early to check out on vacation has nothing to do with disrespecting the check-out time of a listing one has booked.
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@house_plants No worries here, that’s why I have a day’s grace and the noon checkout, no one asks to check out later and no one has asked to check in early.
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Sarcasm’s not so bad. And there can be a lot of it here, so try not to get offended. Really everyone is trying to help, we just have different styles of doing so.
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Sarcasm is not bad, but that comment was simply cruel.
I have no idea whose comment or which comment to which you’re referring.
And I don’t know if you like to throw around the word “cruel” because you don’t understand what it means or because you do but you throw it around quite a lot so it may be worth a think. I guarantee that it does not mean, “time out, stop it, I’m the only one who gets to dish it out”.
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I couldn’t do 11 am checkout…my cleaning team would riot!
They love an early departure!
Yes, I understand that many hosts have cleaners that they need to schedule by 10. And if I booked a place with a 10AM check-out, of course I would make sure to get up early enough to be out by 10. It just wouldn’t be my preference, as I’m not an early riser at the best of times, and a slow starter, and on vacation, I really don’t like to to have to get up early.
We always ask flight departure time when guests book so we can anticipate whether they will be asking for late departure. For those with a late flight, If we have a couple of days until next guest, we usually offer late checkout before they even ask, which generates a lot of good will.
If it’s tight turnaround, we talk to them a day or two before departure (our minimum stay is seven days) and tell them (before they ask) “We’ve got to start pulling the suite apart at checkout time to get ready for the next guest, but you’re welcome to leave your luggage here if you want to go out to lunch/go exploring etc before it’s time to go to the airport… and if our next guest cancels at the last minute, of course you can have late checkout,” and this has always been well received.
More than half our guests do not have a flight out – they are moving to the region, and stay with us for two or three or four weeks while getting themselves set up in a permanent home… so “checkout time” with that group has never been an issue.
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Yep, I’m on standby with a mop and bucket. I do offer a reasonable late checkout for a reasonable fee if I’m asked and can accommodate it.
I’ve only done the mop-and-bucket routine once because the guests I’m talking about are at the annoyance level of an hour late out the door.
It’s just that I have a routine as soon as they leave. I throw on a mask and do a quick check for any disasters, turn on the air filter if they’ve left it off, and take the garbage out. Of course if I’m out running errands or whatever I don’t actually know if they’ve left on the dot, do I?
Seems petty to charge them for it, so I’ve just now decided I should change my attitude and let it slide. Life is too short.
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I have a word doc with all my saved responses this is what I use for late checkout or early check in requests:
Unfortunately that is not possible… My agreement with the housekeeper is that she sets her own schedule and I do not ask her to change it. She juggles family obligations, both child and elderly parent care and I do not set her schedule she works around my check in and check out times.
For early check in I will add: I will text you if the cabin is prepared for you early. Then I usually send that text an hour before check in if I am ready for them.
RR
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If your check-out is 10am for logistical purposes, I would just be firm and honest - “My cleaners arrive at X time, and they only have X amt. of time to clean before the next guest arrives,” or something like that. We manage our own listing, but we also have day jobs, so check-out needs to be enforced.
I also build in some flexibility. Usually, I can wait until noon to clean, but I have a 10am check-out time. That way I can appear flexible and still be able to get the room flipped. Under promise, over deliver.
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I don’t know if this still applies, but a host told me quite a few years ago, that his STR insurance was valid only between his published check-in and check-out times.
I know that doesn’t apply to mine and this was a while ago but I just thought that I’d mention it, It might be of interest, particularly from a liability aspect.
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Here’s how I do it, I charge $25 for a late checkout or early checkin, contingent on if my housekeeper can do it, which is most of the time. But by saying i have to check with my housekeeper, and charging the $25, it makes the guest think twice before asking and it adds value to it by charging $25. I put this policy right in the guest manual and in the check in instructions. I also use Remotelocks, so there is a little bit of effort to make the change because I have to change the time in the lock. Probably 20% of the time when a guest asks for a checkin modification they tell me never mind when they realize its an extra $25. Here is the language I use as a saved message in Airbnb when I am asked:
Early check-in or late check-out may be possible but I’ll have to check with my housekeeper first. If we can, there is a $25 charge to do so. Want me to check with her?
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I was asked for a late check out when a guest was reminded that check out was 10:00 am. They replied that they thought it was 12:00 and asked for an extra hour. I said No, I am unable to accommodate that… they then asked for another 1/2 hour and I said No, that I was unable to accommodate that. My husband finally had to go outside and tell the pair to hurry along and leave (pretty much a quote). I am like you and cannot accommodate a late check out, no exceptions, I do not waver on this rule…ever. I have a framed sign that is very visible that check out is 10:00. You will always get those that say they didn’t realize that check out is 10:00 or hoping for more…stick to your guns, it is your airbnb and you set the rules. I would give them a short explanation as it doesn’t come off as harsh.
Some of us have a tight schedules, no flexiblility and cannot allow it to slide…as is the case with Rolf.
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I clean one of my Airbnb’s myself. I had so many requests for 11am check out rather than 10am that I dropped my check out time to 11am….largely because I was sick of early morning messages asking for late check out/sitting in the car outside waiting for them to get out.
Result…nobody asks for late check outs any more…
I routinely offer early check in and I’m sure that’s why I get a good amount of 5 star reviews.
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Hi Rolf, I haven’t posted for ages but I do look…I have a big stand alone property, sometimes we have had over 20 guests at a time with quite a bit of chaos to clear up! What helped me make departure time easier was to change 10am to 11 am but insist that the guests strip their beds and bag up the linen along with any used towels, and also make sure all rubbish is properly sorted according to type. This has made a huge difference to a same day turnover, I realise this might not help you, as you have already stated it has to be 10am
When there isn’t a same day changeover and the cut off for a new set of guests to book has passed I then offer the guests a late check out myself, as I do most of the cleaning and would much rather they did a good clean up themselves than rush off early leaving a horrible mess, generally they are very good. If no guests have left on the same day others arrive I offer them an earlier check in than advertised
As someone else mentioned, I make suggestions about things they could do in town or on their route home which might interest their particular party. We have lived in the area for 25 years and there really are some hidden gems
If it’s a same day changeover I have my cleaners arrive half an hour after check out time so I can encourage the guests to leave and get all the washing and rubbish out of the house so they can start. On the rare occasion that people are just not ready to go I feel no embarrassment in marching in and starting work along with my team. It has never yet resulted in a bad review
Hope that helps someone, even if not you
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I did tell one guest that the room would self destruct at 10.30 if he was still there! He was Irish and had gone back to bed. The silly suggestion worked! He was gone just after 10.30!!
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So I’m guessing you’re English, which would make your threat quite credible.
And vice versa.
All in a time long ago.
[I hope.]